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Reviews
Abandon (2002)
Just as I feared: a cookie-cutter kiddie creep-out movie
I'd been putting this DVD on the bottom of my "to see" list at the library for a few weeks: I'm no fan of Bratt nor Holmes but I like Drama, and a critic who's usually worthwhile had some positive comments on the cover. And I was out of other movies to take a chance on.
Wow. How is it possible for respected writer like Gaghan to direct a "thriller" with UTTERLY no suspense? Compare this to Michael Mann's Insider where he takes what could have quickly degenerated into a dry plowing-through of mounds of legal-scientific documents and turned it into an EXCITING DRAMA. Maybe after writing the very successful Traffic Gaghan had an automatic Green Light for whatever he wanted to do, so he hauled this script out of his own slush pile.
Actually the final twist itself was pretty good. (But then failing to see twists coming is my weak spot, or perhaps strength.) But that's a skill some directors have in spades: building suspense. It's certainly not Gaghan's forte.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
An example of the problem w/ screwball comedies
When the audience expects screwball, it finds ANY ridiculous, hyper-active scene absolutely HILARIOUS! And the directors know this so they are free to dump in ANY half-baked scene. And that's SUCH an easy way to make a movie. (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas comes to mind.) No WONDER comedies are probably the best selling genre.
What a waste of Kilmer and Rbt Downey, Jr.
The screwball stunts get SO repetitive I left partway through knowing what was coming: stunt after stunt. Oh tee hee! Look! The girl in the Santa suit is running around the park at night with a gun! Oh, isn't that just BRILLIANT comedy?! Spare me.
Derailed (2005)
definitely worth one view at least.
What bugs me about many of fault-finders of this movie is there seems to be a competition among them about how soon they saw the twists coming: "Oh, I saw the twists within the first 15 minutes!" They did? Hmmm? Easy to say after the fact. Well, maybe they did... I didn't see THE twist in Sixth Sense even at the end.
Anyway, Derailed starts well enough for me to BE WILLING TO SUSPEND DISBELIEF (remember THAT requirement of the viewer??): It's just Joe Average (Clive Owen), harassed by life's slings and arrows trying to get through his day...Everyman...you and me perhaps. And the little screw-ups of the day lead to a few MORE screw-ups, plausibly, in my opinion: you forget your train-fare, a pretty woman lends you money, you talk, find some commonalities...(a breath of fresh air for Owens' tied-down character, suffocating in the work-home smog-osphere)... And thats how it starts for him, especially since the smart, fellow-executive woman is open to having a drink or two.
Is THAT so hard to believe? A chance meeting goes a little step farther? Hasn't that ever happened to you? And who knows what can happen after a few drinks? Car trouble, a forgotten briefcase? So, yes, I was a believer from scene-one. And I kept ON believing: this IS the Big City, Stuff DOES happen. (Sure, not every scene was credible: could Owens' suburban, married-with-children's character really get THAT tough w/ the villain in the end?)
So relax, have a drink...enjoy the show...go with the flow. You WANT to believe don't you?